Two of the NFC East's three playoff teams from a year ago squared off Thursday in the 2008 NFL Regular Season opener, but only one left the game with any hope of returning to the postseason this winter.
The New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins, 16-7, in front of 79,742 fans at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
Eli Manning was 19 of 35 with 216 yards for the defending Super Bowl Champions, who kicked off their title defense with a solid defensive effort against an underwhelming, new-look Redskins team. Plaxico Burress was on the receiving end of 133 of those yards.
Burress, who recently signed a 5-year, $35M deal, bobbled a few passes, but managed to keep his grip in a solid effort.
"We played well, and it's no surprise to us," Giants defensive tackle Barry Cofield told ESPN.
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Indeed, that the Giants defense played well is of little surprise to anyone. The fact that they played so well without both Michael Strahan, who retired in the off-season, and Osi Umenyiora, who is lost for the season with a knee injury, is what is most impressive about this effort.
The Giants sacked Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell just once, but their constant pressure and good down field coverage forced more than a few errant throws from the third-year player out of Auburn. Campbell finished just 15 of 27 for 133 yards and a touchdown, thrown to Santana Moss at the end of the first half. Tight end Chris Cooley had just one catch for seven yards.
"I feel like we've learned where we need to improve tonight," Washington head coach Jim Zorn said after the game. "If anything is positive out of it, it's got to be that. We saw where we're at offensively and I think if I was trying to look at the cup half full, that would be it. I don't know if the cup has any water in it right now, for me."
The end of that first half meant the end of offense for both teams, as neither managed even a field goal from the third quarter on.
Brandon Jacobs provided a solid, 21-rush, 116-yard effort on the ground to drain the clock in the second half, and the defense held Clinton Portis under four yards per rush, further limiting a struggling offense into one dimension.
A win is a win, though, and the Giants likely won't face much of a test until after their bye week, Week Five against Seattle. The Redskins come home for their next two games, against New Orleans and Arizona.
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